The Story of Redemption

God speaks to us in so many creative ways. Recently, Jeff shared with me what God showed him and I will now relay that to you... It's the number 420. Sometimes numbers start appearing often enough to catch our attention. While it is commonly known that 420 is the number representing marijuana, God is working in that number as well. Now watch this.
Jeff woke up at 4:20am (without even realizing it until after the fact) and opened his bible saying, "God, you choose the books," and then began flipping through. He started with Proverbs 4:20 which says, "My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words." Next, he wanted to go to Isaiah but God said, "No, go to Jeremiah" Interestingly enough, Isaiah doesn't have a 4:20. So Jeremiah 4:20 says, "Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment." We're starting to see a story unfold. Now to the New Testiment. Matthew 4:20 "At once they left their nets and followed him." And ending in Romans 4:20 "Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God." How awesome is that?! it's a short story told through 4 books with the same verse in each.

Christ in me

From the moment I was saved, I became complete. As soon as Christ entered me, he became all that I am to where there's no way I can strive to be more. I've already reached perfection. There is nothing I can do to get "closer" to God; He's inside of me. If I strive to do all that I can do religiously, it will be in vain. All I can do is respond to the one true, holy, living God. "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)

When I act in the flesh, attempting to achieve something for God or for myself spiritually, it always ends in frustration. I as a human have no words persuasive enough and no actions compelling enough to win anyone to Christ. The Holy Spirit is the one who does the work in them. All I can do is be obedient to the promptings of God and His will will be done. There's so much going on in the spiritual realm that we cannot understand. The spirit can be speaking the precise words to someone who we come in contact with, while we are lost for words. It's a beautiful revelation that we are not responsible for the salvation of others, that's God's work. We just allow Him to use us, regardless of how effective we think we are.

Belmopan

It's been a while since I've hoisted any personal stories on here, so I'll fill you in on my trip to Belmopan. First of all, Belmopan is the capital of Belize, located about an hour inland (west of Belize City). To start from the beginning, I have been playing the drums with local artists here and there; fortunately, God has provided work for me doing what I love. However, in order to work legally, it is required that I have a work permit, which at this point I don't have. So, in a moment of realization of the potential repercussions I could be faced with (jail time and hefty fines), I made a quick plan in my head to go to Belmopan to complete one of the steps of that process. Then out of the blue, I received a text from a friend (Israel) who lives in Belmopan, simply wishing me to have a blessed day. Now to interject story number 2...

Me and Israel

Israel Gilharry is a guy who my family met at the air port in Belize City on Christmas day. He noticed them doing a devotion and made his way to talk to them. Low and behold, they hit it off and my parents gave Israel my contact info. Israel was on his way to Kansas City for a conference where he incidentally met a guy from Dallas who happens to be friends with my roommate as we later found out. I don't think the 'small world' saying can take that kind of credit! Back to story number 1...

So Israel texts me and I tell him about my plan to go to Belmopan for the day to get my police record. We arrange that I will arrive Monday morning and contact him once I reach Belmopan from the bus station. A few days go by and my roommate decides to go with me. After thinking it over, we decide to leave on Sunday and spend the night in Belmopan so we can check out the mainland and get everything taken care of in the morning. Beyond that, however, we were just winging it. So Sunday we leave on the water taxi and everything goes smoothly, then we take a regular taxi to the bus station, we get on the bus and head out. I had my phone with me and wanted to text him, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to impose on him and make him feel obligated to take care of us when we got there, so I didn't send anything. When we arrive, no sooner than we step outside, I see a guy who catches my attention. I had not yet met Israel but I had seen his picture on Facebook and that looked like him. So I walk up to him and he asks where I'm from. "San Pedro" I told him and he says, "I'm Israel" Ha what?! He didn't know we were going to be there. The spirit prompted him to get on his bike and go. He didn't know where he was going, he just happened to end up at the bus station on Sunday afternoon just as our bus arrived. On top of that, he lost his phone a few days prior, so he wouldn't have received my message if I had let him know we had arrived. It was nifty that he showed up because we didn't have a place to stay and we didn't know where anything was. The town was much smaller than I had pictured it. We went to his church (which is connected to his house) and met a lady who later cooked dinner for us, gave us a bed to sleep in and made us breakfast in the morning. That's serious Belizean hospitality considering we had never even met her before! We now have a Belizean Grandma and brothers in Belmopan. As if that weren't enough, Israel works for the government and knows people who can pull strings. That comes in seriously handy around here. Not only did I get my police record fast, but I didn't have to pay for it, and Cam got his too! So for the rest of the day, we hiked a big hill and then chilled in town then ventured home. And there you have it; God did crazy things today.

Cam, Jess, perry atop a hill

Going not knowing

In "My utmost for his highest" Oswald Chambers addresses a topic that corresponds with my life in a way that it never has before. The topic is "going out without knowing."

"Have you ever 'gone out' in this way? If so, there is no logical answer possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the most difficult questions to answer in Christian work is, "What do you expect to do?" You don't know what you are going to do. The only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing. Continually examine your attitude toward God to see if you are willing to 'go out' in every area of your life, trusting in God entirely. It is this attitude that keeps you in constant wonder, because you don't know what God's going to do next. Each morning as you wake, there is a new opportunity to 'go out,' building your confidence in God. ' ... do not worry about your life... nor about the body...' (Luke 12:22) In other words, don't worry about the things that concerned you before you did 'go out.'"

"He went out not knowing where he was going." Hebrews 11:8

So often people will ask me why I moved to Belize. Usually tourists ask me because they are fascinated with the fact that I just picked up and moved to an island. I continually find myself stumbling for an explanation, but the only real explanation is that God prompted me to stop what I was doing and relocate. He opened all of the doors and now here I am. I wouldn't call myself a "missionary" in the traditional sense, because I believe we are all called to be missionaries no matter where we are. I am simply a minister of Jesus Christ regardless of my location or occupation. I love how mysterious God is. A friend once told me, "God's not a recipe, he's a mystery." And it's so true.

In times of Trial

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earth quake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all of the prison doors blew open, and everyone's chains came loose." Acts 16:25-26

Sometimes in our trials we beg God to deliver us from our situation, with the focus being on ourselves and our well being. God, however, already knows our situation and what we need better than we do. When we don't know how to go before Him in these times, we need to remember who He is and respond to that, because He doesn't change like our shifting circumstances. Always praise God for who he is, not just for that which can change in an instant. With praise and worship to God comes freedom in the most trying times.

"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:7-8

Finding Freedom

"So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him...
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell... and the chains fell off Peter's wrists." Acts 12 5-7

A picture I got when reading this is that of an unbeliever imprisoned, and the importance of our intercession for them. It was not what Peter was praying, but the prayers of the ones who cared about him that God answered. Like an unbeliever sleeping, bound in chains, we must intercede for them to be free. They may be incapacitated and unaware of their captivity, but we must earnestly plead with God for their freedom so that He will deliver them.

Another important revelation that was shared with me by a friend is the power of a Godly person. Peter was a man of God. He was viewed as a convicted felon and was more dangerous than the worst of them. He was kept in a prison cell, bound in chains, two guards on either side of him and a guard at the door. This guy was dangerous!! And after all of that security he still managed to escape. This is a man who doesn't need weapons or physical strength to prevail, it's the spiritual forces that guard him that the world is powerless to defend against. And the same God who rescued Peter is the God who will deliver us.

Psalm 91
" If you say,' the Lord is my refuge'
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels
concerning you to guard you in all your ways."

If we truly live this out, we will be unstoppable. We will no longer fear the dangerous places or situations that once kept us at bay; for those are often the places of greatest potential for advancing the kingdom of God. Imagine if we no longer feared death. We would become far more dangerous than any threat this world has to pose.

Finding the Balance

I'm realizing more and more that I'm in a season of preparation. I came here expecting to simply go and do, but things aren't happening that quickly. As with anywhere you go, you have to soak into the environment. It's been a culture shock for me in the sense that I'm used to having so many obligations and commitments that I never had to decide how to spend my day, someone else has always done that for me! Here, however, I haven't acquired those obligations that used to dictate so much of my time; I'm having to learn how to manage it myself. What I'm discovering is that in doing this, there is a lot of freedom, but there's also a lot of room for mismanagement. Many times, I get discouraged, feeling like I should be conquering some notable task, making some kind of colossal difference in the world, but instead, I find myself going to bed yet one more time without having done anything like that. Darn you addicting Disney movies!
It didn't take long to realize I needed to remedy this situation, but coming up with the solution is not as easy as it may seem. What I realized is how big of a role inspiration plays in the self-motivated world. When commitments aren't telling me what to do, inspiration has to. The problem is when there is no inspiration, I tend to avoid doing anything that doesn't sound like fun. If you've ever been in that predicament, you know that discipline goes out the window and boredom sets in fast. So in solving this quandary, I decided to compartmentalize one day at a time and fill it with a certain amount of mental stimulation (learning, filling up) and an amount of charity (teaching, pouring out). Both sides must be present and balanced.
For the charity aspect, I'm working on making it a life style. It can't be just an event or a task during the day, it must become a mindset that thinks outwardly, eyes that look for need and arms that are willing to reach out and meet it. One step I'm taking in this field is by building relationships with people in town and around the community. The nice thing about living on a small island is that you tend to see a lot of people that you recognize. My first step is to meet those people. If I were to meet 5 people every time I went into town, I would know half the island in no time. That's where the ministry begins for me. Without relationships, it's nearly impossible to make any kind of long term impact in someone's life.

As for the mental stimulation part, I find that the more I learn, the more inspired I get to keep learning. It's just the digging in that takes some patience. Reading, in and of itself, is a great mental exercise, but studying subjects that interest you can be so rewarding when you're not under the pressure of school. Go figure!
Right now, I'm studying from several books of the bible, both Old and New Testaments, a music book on Afro-Cuban drumming styles, a book on singing, a devotional book, and a novel, as well as Spanish and Kriol language books. Just little by little, I try to study as if I were taking a course in that particular subject.
Living in this new environment has so much to teach me. I've learned so much from the people who have lived here forever, just by watching them and talking to them, they'll show me all kinds of new things. Everything from fishing, to cooking, to music styles, and languages, it's all so fascinating to me. Living on an island where most people have little money, and a lot of time and natural resources, results in some crazy ingenuity. I love learning their quirky ways of doing things. It's an interesting way of learning, and as I discover, the world becomes my school!
Oh, and it's amazing what difference it makes to get up early! the sun rises at 5:30 and if you're not up by then, you're burning day light! as a wise friend Matt Bell would say.